He does not consider himself a designer from the start. Rather an inventor who strives for the freedom of singer-songwriters, about which he will speak several times in this conversation. Therefore, he sees each new collection as an album of originals, the success of which depends on the ability to seduce others. Davide Groppi was in Lisbon last week, for the celebration of the Day of Italian Design in the World, which took place at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Lisbon, in a debate conference chaired by Italy’s Ambassador to Portugal, Carlo Formosa. With an impressive curriculum, Groppi (ADI Compasso d’oro Award in 2014 and Compasso d’Oro Menzione d’Onore Award in 2016) works for private homes, hotels, restaurants (among his clients are chefs such as Albert Adrià and Massimo Bottura), museums, but also makes individual pieces, which can be purchased in selected shops. His main goal is to create lighting that makes sense, but doesn’t impose itself. “I contribute to building the scenery, but I don’t steal the scene,” he says with whom we are in love chiaroscuro by Caravaggio and by the playful spirit of the Surrealists and Dadaists.
How did you start working with light?
I’m not exactly sure why, but I started very early, maybe 22 years old. Like many people, I felt the need to express my artistic side and light seemed like a good way to tell stories. At that time I came across the work of my great master, Ingo Maurer, and I was completely fascinated.
Source: DN
